buckle 1 of 2

verb

Definition of bucklenext
1
as in to collapse
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure the flimsy bridge buckled under the weight of the caravan of trucks

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to devote
to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention buckled himself down and finished the assignment in record time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

buckle

2 of 2

noun

as in loop

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of buckle
Verb
Because their play Sunday could buckle the resolve of even true believers. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 While the epicenter was located in Nantou County in central Taiwan, serious damage afflicted residents across the island as roads buckled, bridges collapsed and landslides destroyed everything in their path. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026
Noun
Surface tree roots may also push their way through sidewalk cracks or buckle pavement in driveways. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 28 Sep. 2026 For women, a plaid dress featured a keyhole detail set off by a shoe buckle — shoes being an unlikely inspiration for the collection. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for buckle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buckle
  1. collapse
  2. devote
  3. loop
  4. go
  5. apply
  6. fold
  7. give
  8. spiral
Verb
  • One of those companies collapsed as its stock price plummeted 99%.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase briefly collapsed on the court during Friday’s playoff win over the Dallas Wings.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Rivera said reading Against All Hope, Cuban political prisoner Armando Valladares’ memoir, while attending FIU persuaded him to abandon plans to become a sportswriter and devote his life to political and human-rights causes.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Sessions, in a letter seeking leniency that was read into the record by his chief of staff, said his former congressional colleague devoted decades to public service, much of it focused on defending liberty and democracy.
    — Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of devote
Noun
  • Concerns about military readiness, workforce shortages, rising health care costs, affordability, and America’s ability to compete in an increasingly challenging world seem to play on a loop without any sign of progress.
    — Stanley McChrystal, STAT, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Rather than forcing you to adapt to a permanently stitched grid of elastic loops, the M3 utilizes heavy-duty, modular pages.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of loop
Verb
  • As previously reported, the Laneway shows in Perth and Adelaide have been scaled back and will go ahead as sideshows.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Many of those conversations went viral or became news in their own right.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of go
Verb
  • Doing so would entail repairing cracks that admit water, maintaining the foundations of each section, applying a sealant to slow the weathering process, and keeping the encroachment of vegetation in check.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Another act of retaliation, the lawsuit says, is that after applying for assistant chief of technical services, Dougan was rejected for allegedly failing to meet a new suppression-credential requirement.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of apply
Noun
  • Parker’s hair was gathered into an enormous, layered, fishtail braid that starts high on the back of her head with a bow, its ends interlaced intermittently with the incredibly thick folds of the plaits.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The removal of a fuel subsidy scheme in particular has raised petrol prices over five-fold since 2023.
    — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fold
Verb
  • Its winner, whether filmmaker or rights holder, will give the platform an exclusive license to show the film for a limited period.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Intense sound effects—such as the exceptionally long reverberation and echoes inside the Blue Demon tomb—gave a dramatic soundtrack to this intense, immersive experience.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of give
Noun
  • In Proserpina, eleven vertical yellow wooden rods, enrobed in layers of gray and maroon wire netting, increase in length around a wire-mesh spiral that reaches three feet at its tallest point.
    — Nicole Rudick, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Fed officials have emphasized that wages are not a significant source of inflation, with the lack of evidence of a wage-price spiral an important distinction when calibrating policy.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of spiral

Browse Nearby Words

bucking up
buckle
buckled
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Cite this Entry

“Buckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buckle. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on buckle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about buckle

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